The Odds
by Reveurinblackandwhite
Summary: Follow the tributes of District 7 as they battle for survival in the 6th annual Hunger Games
1. The Reaping

**Note: I love Hunger Games but this story is not affiliated with the series except to draw inspiration.**

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><p>Katniss and Peeta thought they were unique, appearing as a united team before the games, but they were wrong. The tributes from District 7 did it sixty-eight years before. I ought to know. I was one of them.<p>

That Reaping Day began like any other. First, came the temporary contentment at being awoken by the sun and not the usual, bone-jarring horn blast. District 7 is situated in the northern most reaches of Panem so the sun is rarely up before the citizens. Then came the icy terror that was the norm on Reaping Day.

I pulled myself out of bed and padded, barefoot to the bed under the window, where my two younger brothers slept. Even though they were almost three years apart in age, in the half light of dawn, they looked like twins. Both had a halo of short blonde hair and what seemed like thousands of freckles. Jesse, the older of the two, looked years younger when he didn't have his glasses on and when he slept, he didn't worry. The lines that usually creased his forehead disappeared and the distrust that characterized his eyes couldn't be seen. Rowan, the youngest of the three, was curled up against his older brother, just as innocent and naïve as he was when he was awake.

I couldn't help but smile. These two were my world. My sun rose and set with them. I was glad, that at eleven, Rowan was could avoid the Reaping for one more year, at the very least. Jesse was a different story. Jesse I was worried about. He was only thirteen but he had taken enough tesserae to feed our family for two years in a row. As soon as he was old enough to take tesserae, he had forbidden me to take anymore. I knew he was trying to protect me but it still worried me and I still wish he wouldn't.

I reached out and shook Jesse's shoulder. Instantly, his green eyes flashed open and under the pillow his hand tensed around a hidden knife but he was careful not to wake Rowan. I held a finger to my lips. He didn't smile like he normally did, which considering the day, was understandable. He slipped silently out of bed and soon disappeared into the woods leading to the lumber yards and across the fence to the wilderness beyond.

I pulled on my normal day clothes and began hauling water for baths. By the time I had finished filling the washtub, my mother was awake and Jesse had returned. Ma was plucking a fresh wild turkey. In the corner, Jesse and Da were cleaning their weapons, which were usually stored under the floorboards. They had two knives and a hatchet from the Dark Ages which they used to hunt whenever possible. We hung up an old sheet to serve as a partition so people could bathe in privacy. The water was only lukewarm but it felt good to scrub off the sawdust and grime.

I still had one good dress that had survived the rebellion. It was an old-fashioned, green, gingham dress that had been my mother's at one time. In its own way, it was actually quite pretty and I was very glad to find that it still fit. I brushed out my hair and twisted it up in a loose, simple bun at the nape of my neck.

When Ma and I were done, the boys slipped, one by one, behind the partition. They emerged in a nice shirt and the most decent pair of pants they owned. After a breakfast of wild turkey on biscuits, we set out for the main town. There, kids of Reaping age were funneled into sections by age, and parents and ineligible siblings were directed to separate viewing areas nearby. I followed a group of seventeen year olds to one side and Jesse wound up in the section reserved for thirteen year olds. When all was quiet, a young man from the Capitol stepped up onto the stage. Nobody in the district knew his real name; he had always introduced himself as GM. He clapped his hands together.

"While happy Hunger Games everybody! Shall we start with the ladies?"

He reached into the Reaping ball. My heart was beating so hard I thought it would burst. I watched his hand searching in the bowl as if he was moving in slow motion. Finally, he grasped one of the slips. As he stepped back to the microphone, I thought I was going to pass out.

"Akeelah VanEkoff!"

Me. It was me. All of a sudden I felt emptier than I had ever thought possible. As I walked up to the stage, there were no tears, no panic, there was just me. When I reached the stage, I shook GM's hand and took my place. I had to be strong. I couldn't let the boys see me worry. This would be bad enough if I could hold myself together.

GM moved to the other side of the stage where the boys Reaping ball rested. When he pulled out the slip of paper, he hesitated. I couldn't quite process what that hesitation meant but then, I don't think anybody else did either.

"Jesse VanEkoff!"

The crowd gasped. I felt the blood drain from my face and I hit my knees, hard. Everything passed in a blur. One of the television monitors that surrounded the area flashed to a shot of my parents. My mother was sobbing into my father's shoulder. He stood tall and strong like he always had, but tears streaked his cheeks

_Rowan. Where is Rowan?_ I caught sight of him, holding desperately to Da's hand. It was the sight of him that drove me to my feet. Jesse mounted the stage and we stood as the anthem was played and the story of the Dark Ages was read. GM asked us to shake hands, but we ended up in a tearful embrace. When we broke apart, we were escorted off the stage by peacekeepers. In the Justice Building they separated us.

_Why? We have the same people to say goodbye to._ I figured Ma and Da would talk to Jesse first since he was younger, so I settled in to wait and think. My best friend, Spencer came in and sat on the couch next to me.

"Two kids from the same family. What are the odds?" I shrugged, not trusting myself to speak. He nodded. After a couple of minutes, I said, "Rowan…" I couldn't continue but I didn't need to.

"I'll keep an eye on him. I promise." I hugged him. I was doing more hugging today than I usually did in a month. The peacekeepers came to escort him out of the room. He didn't say anything. He just kissed my forehead and walked away.

_Typical_. I thought. _No goodbye. At least I got the kiss._

Next came the twins, Lavina and Ceili. We spent a lot of time together at school, them, me, and Spencer. I could tell they were uncomfortable. I mean what do you say to a friend you are pretty sure isn't coming back?

"You two have been amazing friends. I know that no matter what happens, you'll always remember me."

"Of course!" replied Lavina.

"You're our friend, Akeelah,"

"I know Ceili. Thanks guys."

That was all we had time to say before the peacekeepers came to collect the twins. I hugged both of them goodbye, certain I had seen them for the last time. A few seconds later, my family entered. While, the three of them that were still relatively free. Rowan was getting a little big but I pulled him onto my lap anyway. He buried his head in my shoulder and held on for dear life. I buried my face against his hair and just tried to memorize him.

My mother sat on one side and my father sat on the other. We sat in an embrace for a few minutes. When I spoke my throat was tight but I also knew this was probably my last chance to tell them what I needed to say.

"Only one of us can come out. I hope to high heaven it will be one of us but if it's not. You... you need to keep your heads high. Rowan someday, you might understand how much I love you. I am going to do everything I can so at least one of us comes back. Bloody hell, am I going to try. Ma, I love you more than I can say, no matter how much I may argue and complain, I am going to miss you. Da, you've worked so hard to keep me safe and teach me well. You've done everything possible for me. Thank you all of you."

The peacekeepers entered the room and we all stood. I hugged each of them in turn. I knelt in front of Rowan, "Stay strong. Remember I love you and I'm going to try to come home."

The peacekeepers escorted me and Jesse onto the train platform. As we turned to face the cameras, I felt Jesse's hand brush mine. I gave his hand a quick squeeze back before dropping it. Our eyes met and I knew we were thinking the same thing.

_Let the Games begin._

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><p><strong>Note: Please rate subscribe andor favorite. All feedback is welcome!**


	2. The Capitol

**Note: I'm not totally happy with this one but I need to move on.**

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><p>Once we were on the Capitol train, rocketing toward our doom at phenomenal speeds, GM tried to get us to lie down and rest but neither of us could do so. I was comfortable in the gingham dress so I didn't bother to change but Jesse changed into denim pants and a simple polo shirt. This was still dressier than what he normally wore, but you can only get so casual when it comes to the Capitol.<p>

Within ten minutes we were sitting in the dining car. I held a cup of mint tea with honey. Jesse was holding a glass of apple juice but he wasn't really drinking it. He just stared at the delicate patterns etched into the glass. We sat in silence but we didn't have to say anything. Our moments were numbered, we both knew that, but we were content to pass this one as it was.

When I finished my tea we wandered the train until we found a comfortable couch. We sat on it like we had when we were younger, facing each other, our knees and foreheads touching. Whenever Jesse got scared during the rebellion we would find ourselves in this position, and I would sing him an old lullaby. We were both scared now and it only seemed appropriate.

_Have you ever seen the sunrise turn the sky completely red?_

_Or slept beneath the moon and stars, a pine bough for your head?_

_Or have you sat and talked with friends, though a word was never said?_

_If you have than you're like me, and you've been on the loose._

_On the loose to climb a mountain,_

_On the loose for I am free._

_On the loose to live my life_

_The way I think my life should be._

_For I've only got a moment_

_And the whole world yet to see_

_I'll be searching for tomorrow on the loose._

_There's a trail that I'll be hiking, just to see where it may go._

_Many places yet to visit, many people yet to know_

_And while following my dreams I will learn and I will grow_

_I'll be searching for tomorrow on the loose._

_On the loose to climb a mountain,_

_On the loose for I am free._

_On the loose to live my life_

_The way I think my life should be._

_For I've only got a moment_

_And the whole world yet to see_

_I'll be searching for tomorrow on the loose._

_Now in search of love and laughter I will travel 'cross the land,_

_Never sure of where I'm going, for I haven't any plan._

_And some day when you are ready, come and join me, take my hand,_

_And together we'll live life out on the loose._

_On the loose to climb a mountain,_

_On the loose for we are free._

_On the loose to live our lives_

_The way we think they ought to be_

_And together we'll live life out on the loose._

We both jumped when someone started clapping. I swung around to see GM standing in the doorway.

"That was just so touching! How sweet and beautiful! You simply must sing for me again."

"Maybe… some other time GM."

"Of course, of course! We have to discuss our arrival anyway. Since District 7 has never had a victor as of yet, I will also be serving as your mentor. So, a few instructions. Your stylists know what they're doing, let them. Stay on time. Be polite and be civil. Make them love you!"

Jesse nodded tersely and left the room. I thanked GM and left as well, but I didn't follow Jesse. I knew he wanted to be alone for a little bit. That was just part of his personality. At the end of the train, I found a car made almost entirely of glass window panes. The train was moving too fast to see anything, but it was the least claustrophobic space I had found yet. It didn't take me long to fall asleep on one of the plush chairs. When I woke up, Jesse was sitting next to me, his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands.

"Hey."

"Akeelah! I thought you were sleeping."

"Well I was." I noticed just how pale he was. Concerned, I reached out to touch his hand, only to find it freezing cold. He grasped my fingers as if his life depended on them. I knew he would talk when he was ready so I waited.

"I'm scared, Akeelah." He was looking to me for guidance and advice but I didn't have any to give. I pulled him into a hug and whispered in his ear. "Me too."

We finished the train ride hand in hand. When the train began to slow, we moved to stand before the windows. The Capitol was impressive, I had to admit that. How they could have rebuilt and progressed this far in only six years? It was a shining metropolis that was far from justified in the digital pictures we always saw. It might have been pretty, except everyone here wanted us to die. I saw Jesse's face harden and knew he had come to the same conclusion. I pulled him away from the windows.

"You want them to like you. One of us has to make it home. If you can't do it for yourself or for me or for Ma or Da, do it for Rowan." His eyes softened.

"For Rowan."

On the platform outside the Training Center, Jesse surprised me by smiling and even waving at the Capitol crowd. I copied him but he blew me away with how much he had changed in the past minute. I couldn't believe this was the same boy I had been talking to just moments ago. He had been so angry. Now he was charming and cheerful even ecstatic to be here, at least on the outside.

We entered the Training Center with GM in the lead. He entered an elevator and hit a button that took us to the remake center. Jesse and I were directed to different wings and separated. I found myself surrounded by some of the strangest people I had ever seen. The first was a slim woman, whose entire body had been tattooed with spider webs, including her shaved head. She wore black lipstick, nail polish, and boots with heels higher than I've ever seen. The next was a seriously short, heavyset young man. He had also shaved his head except for neon green bangs in the front that were long enough to brush his shoulders. The last was another young man who looked almost normal except he had lines of eyes tattooed down his cheeks, each a different color. This was continued in his actual eyes. One was a dark brown, the other was such a pale color that it can only be described as gray.

Over the next few hours, they scrubbed and waxed and plucked and did a thousand other things I couldn't name if I wanted to. Most of it was painful to some degree but it was better than just feeling numb. Finally, they disappeared and my stylist walked in. The woman reminded me strongly of a giant blueberry. Her skin was dyed a dark blue almost purple and her short hair was green. The effect was quite comical but I tried not to laugh.

"Gracilia."

"I'm sorry?"

"My name."

"Oh. Well-" Gracilia cut me off with a sharp wave of her hand. She motioned for me to remove my thin robe and then circled me like a buzzard. I felt like a piece of meat on market day that wasn't going to sell. Without a word Gracilia left, slamming the door behind her. I sat on the edge of the table. _Great my stylist hates me. That's going to give me such an advantage._

I didn't see anybody until hours later when my stylist came in carrying a mass of green and brown that I assumed was my costume, with my prep team following in her wake. When she unfolded it, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was not the stereotypical cardboard-cutout-tree type of costume our tributes usually got stuck in. At first glance it was really hard to tell what it was but as my prep team helped me slip into it, the beauty became evident. The base was a loose jumpsuit that faded from a dark forest green, almost black, to a dark tan. From the waist up, twisting, swirling vines encased me, flaring up behind my head and along my arms. When my prep team was done with my makeup, I had miniature trees stretching from the corner of my eyes and my long, waist length red hair flowed in sculpted waves. I was definitely surprised. I turned to Gracilia.

"Thank you. This is gorgeous…"

"You're welcome." Gracilia checked her watch, "Time to go."

I followed her back down the long hallway to the elevator which took us to the stable below the Training Center. I had only waited by the chariot for a couple minutes when Jesse showed up. His clothes were also intriguing. He was dressed in dark green pants and a slightly lighter green sleeveless shirt. His arms and face were covered in a green and brown camouflage and his hair was streaked with green. They'd given him contacts or at least confiscated his glasses because he wasn't wearing them. He was my brother but I could barely tell it was him.

"Hey Jesse."

"Akeelah."

He climbed into the chariot and held out a hand to help me up. I accepted but even when I was safely in the chariot, he wouldn't let go. He couldn't let go. He was my brother. He wanted to do what he had been doing for the past few years. He wanted to protect me. I wanted to protect him. So we held onto each other for dear life. And we went out to face the beginning of the end.

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><p><strong>Note: The song is one my Grandma used to sing to me and one that I often sang at camp and to my brothers as a young girl. I don't know who owns it but I can't find an owner so I'm going to use it. It's very special to me. I realize that parts of this sound similar to the books but it is purely coincidental I promise. All interactions between Akeela, Jesse, and Rowan are based on me and my brothers. I am drawing on our experiences and my imagination.<strong>

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	3. The Training

**Note: I know it's been a while but school's finally out so the next one should come faster. Enjoy!**

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><p>The tribute parade was the standard numbing cacophony of noise. All I could really tell was that we weren't the favorites but we also weren't being booed. I don't even remember the President's speech. The only thing I could truly feel was Jesse's hand in mine. He was the one bit of my reality that, at least for now, had survived this place. Neither of us said anything on the way back to our floor or during the late supper that followed. Finally we went to bed. I had never slept in a room by myself and the oppressive silence threatened to suffocate me. Within an hour I found myself in Jesse's room. I knew by his breathing that he was already sleeping, but if his room was anything like mine there was a recliner by the nightstand. I slowly felt my way to that chair. From it I could just reach his pillow. I gently rested my hand on his head and only then did I fall blissfully and completely asleep.<p>

I guess GM had gone to wake me up first because when he entered the room that morning, he was more than slightly panicked.

"Jesse, wake up! Do you know where- Oh Akeelah, what are you doing in here?"

Still half asleep I mumbled, "Couldn't sleep."

"Well you shouldn't be in here. It's against the rules." Both Jesse and I shot death glares his direction but he had already turned to walk away.

I went to my own room to get ready. I found a green v-neck blouse and black pants had been laid out for me. Not wanting to cause anymore drama with GM, I put them on. When I finally got to breakfast, I found Jesse staring at the buffet line like he could kill something.

"Jesse? You okay?"

"They have all of this for three people but there are dozens of kids in the districts who are lucky if they can find a single moldy crust of bread to last them the whole day." For a moment I didn't respond. He was right of course. It was appalling but we couldn't do anything about it.

"Rowan."

"Right… For Rowan."

We helped ourselves to large plates of food and were seated at the table before GM came in. He filled a plate and came to join us.

"So what's the plan GM?"

"Training Center at ten. I'm not much of a mentor so I'm pretty much going to leave that up to you. Just give me an idea of what you can do so I can try to drum up some sponsors."

I glanced at Jesse. We had to be careful what we said or we could get a lot of people in trouble. GM may not care but we were in the Capitol and there was no doubt in either of our minds that this place was bugged.

"Well," I said, "we're pretty resourceful. Especially if we end up someplace similar to District Seven, that will work towards our advantage."

"And I'm pretty handy with an axe. I mean I can hit the same spot twice." That was such an understatement that I almost burst out laughing. Luckily GM ignored me.

"Good, good. We can get somewhere with that."

By then it was time for us to head downstairs. We headed down to the Training Center where an avox pinned our district number to our backs and we joined the nervous group of tributes in the middle of the room. The district twelve and three tributes trickled in and for a few awkward moments we just stood there. I noticed Jesse was taking advantage of the idle time to size up the rest of the crowd. Predictably the tributes from one and two were will fed and muscular although, surprisingly, district four wasn't looking as healthy as usual. Pretty much everybody else looked like the desperate, starving, terrified children they were.

Exactly at ten o' clock a young man who couldn't have been more than twenty strode into the room. Though young he was over six feet tall with a blonde military style crew cut and a stony expression. He began to explain the stations but after "You are free to move about as you please," I found it much more interesting to watch the procession of gamemakers filling the platform behind him.

When he finished speaking I whispered to Jesse, "Let's split up. Get the measure of the others and try to visit as many stations as you can."

We split and headed toward opposite sides of the Training Center. My first stop was sword fighting. I didn't anticipate being any good at this but it never hurts to try something new. At least none of the careers were there, though the boys from six and eleven and the girl from eight were already attempting to wield swords. Even though the district six tributes was one of the oldest, he could barely pick up his weapon much less swing it around and the girl didn't seem to be doing much better. However, the boy from district eleven was a different story. He obviously hadn't handled a sword before but he was catching on fast. I headed toward the rack of available weapons that held every size and shape of sword imaginable. I chose one of the less impressive looking ones. It was long and thin but sharp. I turned to find one of the trainers watching me.

"Good choice. You know your limits. Have you ever worked with a sword before?"

"Not yet."

For the next hour I learned the basics of handling a sword. Surprisingly, I didn't find it horribly difficult. It was actually very reminiscent of handling an axe, at least in movement. By then I needed to move on but I was definitely going to come back.

My next stop was the camouflage station. I had just start to paint a pattern of shadows onto my arm when I was joined by a very young tribute. If I had passed him on the street I would have guessed he was, at most, ten years old. Our eyes met, just briefly before he had turned to the materials in front of us. Within minutes his entire body was caked in a mixture of mud and gravel. He stood and moved silently to the rough concrete wall by the door. I took a few steps back to get a better look. From a distance he would have been completely indistinguishable from the wall. I washed my lame attempt from my arm. There was no way I could follow that.

Luckily for me the next station was knife throwing. This I was good at. Since it was technically illegal for me to know anything about this, I let the instructor ramble for a few minutes. It wasn't perfect but I was close. At least I hit the target a good majority of the time. Of course I was better with a tomahawk or an axe but at least this was semi-familiar territory. I stayed at the knife throwing station, progressing through different levels of targets until the bell rang for lunch.

Lunch itself was another buffet style meal. I loaded my plate with as many vegetables and fruits as I could and found a table in a corner away from everybody else. In a couple minutes Jesse joined me.

"So how was your morning?" He shrugged.

"Interesting enough. Nothing too hard. Fire starting isn't bad if the wood is dry and I actually like archery. Umm…. Weights were really boring. We climb enough trees at home that that station was kind of pointless. That's as far as I got."

"Tributes?"

"Predictable. No one stood out too much. You know the careers are terrifying and the rest are tragically pathetic. You?"

"Tributes, watch out for District Eleven, other than that, same."

"Stations?"

"Swords remind me of axes, I suck at camouflage, and knife throwing actually went really well." He just nodded and kept shoveling food into his mouth.

At the end of lunch we went back to where we had stopped before lunch. This put me at the edible plants station. Some of them were familiar but not all of them. Maybe this meant we would end up somewhere with a little bit of home in it. The plants seemed to be those native to a hardwood forest more than anything else. Maybe our arena would be someplace with trees. I hoped so.

I soon moved on to spear throwing which I was pretty bad at. I didn't waste much time there and moved on quickly. The next stop was knot tying. I started with snares but the instructor also taught fish hooks and nets. I was starting to get confused. The edible plants pointed toward a hardwood forest but the knots were pointing at water. Speculating was getting me nowhere. I'd just have to wait another couple of days.

Those days were spent largely in the same way as the first. Jesse and I split up to train and compared notes at lunch and dinner. It turned out I wasn't half bad at archery but I was going to be leaving the heavy lifting and the fire starting to Jesse. We'd both spent our entire lives climbing trees so the climbing station was boring but it was also a great place to de-stress. I focused on sword fighting and knife throwing mostly. Jesse turned out to be really good at almost everything except the plants. He was completely helpless when it came to identifying what was poisonous and what wasn't. The instructor finally just told him not to eat anything unless he got it from a sponsor.

At last it was time for our private sessions with the gamemakers, which GM had no advice for… again. Jesse told me he had a plan but he wouldn't share. As for me, my plan was to go to the first station I saw. Jesse went first and a few minutes later, I followed. I ended up throwing some knives at some of the more complicated targets including some that moved. After about ten minutes, they dismissed me. I went back to our floor and found Jesse.

"So, now can you tell me what you did?"

"Sure. I grabbed a bunch of knives and stuff and a bow and killed a bunch of targets from the middle of the room."

"Nice." We made small talk for awhile then GM came in.

"Time for the scores."

As usual, the careers were high. Eights and nines, even a ten. Districts three, five, and six hovered around a four. Then it was our turn. Jesse's picture flashed first, followed by a nine. I scored an eight. The boy from district eleven scored a ten. The scores were really high this year which meant that the betting in the Capitol would be crazy. But we could worry about all of that tomorrow.

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><p><strong>Note: The end is a little rushed, I know. Ratings, reviews, and suggestions are all welcome! (:<strong>


	4. The Interview

**Note: Thanks for reading. Sorry it's been several months but here I am!**

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><p>The next morning started with an early morning wakeup call by GM. He wasn't too happy about finding us in the same room again but he didn't say anything. I couldn't even tell you half of what he tried to teach us but I can tell you that everybody was frazzled and short tempered before lunch. My feet hurt from walking in high heels and I wasn't going to have some capitol bimbo tell me what part I needed to play during my interview. Luckily, GM decided to take the afternoon off, either because he was as frustrated as we were, or perhaps he actually thought we were ready. Somehow I doubt it was the latter but I also wasn't about to argue.<p>

Jesse and I sat together, mostly in silence, occasionally reminiscing about our childhoods. Waiting. The hours dragged. Waiting is one of the absolute hardest things to do when you're terrified.

When Gracilia came to collect me, I didn't even say good-bye. He gave me a nervous smile and headed towards his room as we headed towards mine. My prep team was already there. The guy with the eyes was holding a mass of green fabric. The first thing I noticed as they helped me into the dress was the cool silkiness of the fabric. It flowed like water, skimming my body perfectly. It was made up of several layers of translucent greens, but somehow it didn't seem to add any bulk. The empire waist was made by a braided leather belt, the ends of which trailed to the floor. My hair was pulled to cascade in ringlets down my back, woven with ivy. The heels she handed me were dark brown braided leather and, luckily, only about three and a half inches tall. I felt beautiful.

"Thank you." Gracilia just nodded. As a group we headed toward the elevator where we met Jesse and his posse. He was dressed in a sharply tailored brown suit with a green tie and a fedora. He didn't look comfortable in the fancy clothes but he was an impressive looking boy. He'd get sponsors if he could come up with a personality to match. When we reached the ground floor, we were herded into a line with the other tributes. We were marched out in front of the audience to a huge display of fanfare from the band.

On stage was a man in an electric blue suit with his hair, eyelids, and lips painted black on a background of white. I was too nervous to hear any of the interviews before mine. Long before I was ready, the announcer was calling my name. I moved toward center stage, just praying I didn't stumble in those ridiculous heels.

"So how are you my dear? It's been a crazy couple days for you."

"I'm doing okay. I miss my family and friends but the Capitol is a mind-blowing place."

"You say you miss your family, but part of your family came here with you, didn't they?" I nodded.

"My brother. Jesse."

"Is he older or younger?"

"Well technically he's younger than me but I'm pretty sure he's smarter." That got a bit of a laugh from the audience.

"Your training score was pretty high. Do you think you could win?"

"I'm going to do my best but there is definitely some stiff completion." I glanced at Jesse. "I just hope one of us gets home."

"Well good luck to you, Akeelah VanEkoff." I shook hands with the host and gave the crowd a wave and a smile. I watched Jesse's interview from my chair. Once again he was charming, flashing irresistible smiles and undoubtedly stealing hearts. When the host asked him about his family, he looked at his lap and his eyes filled with tears. There was a collective sigh of sympathy from the crowd.

"Everybody knows my sister's here, but I don't think they remember that our youngest brother is still at home. He's an amazing kid but I don't think he's going to cope too well if we both end up dead. I'm okay with dying. I've made my peace. But he asked me to come home. I said I would so I'm going to do it."

After that the buzzer rang to signal the end of the interview. Jesse bowed to the crowd and headed back to his seat. The applause from the audience stretched for several minutes. I was proud of him for sharing that much of his life. I knew he had struggled to reveal even that much to thousands of people he secretly hated.

The rest of the interviews pretty much confirmed what I already suspected. The boy from District 11, whose name was Saturnus by the way, was going to be the one to beat.

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><p><strong>Note: It's really short but I didn't have this ready to put up with the last chapter and it didn't really belong with the next one either.<strong>


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